Febrand f



(Modem P. P ELLIS & J. R. ROWLANDS. ADJUSTABLE MOUTH PIECE FOR GORNETS.

Patented June 13, 1882.

i I\\\\\\\\\\\\ I :v. PETERS. Fhclo-Llihngnphur. Washingmn. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERRAND F. ELLIS AND JOHN R. RO'WLANDS, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK; SAID ROWLANDS ASSIGNOR TO SAID ELLIS.

PIECE FGR CORNETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 259,513, dated June 13, 1882.

Application filed December 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FERRAND F. ELLIs and JOHN R. ROWLANDS, both of Oneida, in the county of Madison and State of New York,

. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Mouth-Pieces for Uornets and other Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

In playing upon a cornet or other similar 1 brass instrument it is desirable, in order to producea full round tone in thelower register of the notes, to have a large and deep-cupped mouth-piece and to use a slight pressure of the lips; but to produce a clear and perfect 1 tone in the upper register requires a shallowcupped mouth-piece and greater pressure of the lips.

An important object of our invention is to construct a mouth-piece so that the additional pressure of the lips which is requisite to produce a perfect tone in the upper register will effect the reduction oi'the mouth-piece in depth, so as to make its cup of less capacity, and so that when the pressure of the lips is diminished the mouthpiece will regain its former size and depth.

To this end our invention consists essentially in the combination, in a mouth-piece, of an inner cup and an outer lip-cup adapted to slide inward and outward thereon, the two cups together forming an adjustable bell-shaped airchamber of ordinary form, and having an open mouth, and a spring for pressing said lipcup outward relatively to the inner cup and holding it with a yielding pressure, whereby we provide for varying the depth and size of the air-chamber in the mouth-piece by applying the lips with greater or less pressure to the lip-cup, and thereby pressing it inward or allowing it to move outward relatively to the inner cup.

The invention further consists in a novel arrangement ot' the aforesaid spring between the tube projecting from the inner cup and a surrounding sleeve projecting from the lip-cup, and in means for varying the tension of the sprin g so as to increase or diminish the pressure of the lips required to move the lip-cup inward upon the inner cup against the force of the spring.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a mouthpiece embodying our invention; and Fig. 2 represents a transverse section on the dotted line a: 00, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures.

A designates the lip-cup of the mouth-piece, which is shown as formed with a projecting tube or sleeve, A; and B designates theinner cup, which is shown as formed with a projecting tube, B, which passes through the sleeve A. The interior of the lip-cup and inner cup are so formed that they form together a bell shaped open-mouthed air-chamber of ordinary form in the mouthpiece, and the lip-cup fits snugly upon the exterior of the inner cup, and is adapted to move inward and outward relatively thereto for the purpose of diminishing or increasing the capacity of the air-chamber. 7o

Jtt thejunction of the sleeve A and lip-cup A is a ring, a, which is secured in place by a screw, I), inserted through the sleeve A, and which forms a shoulder on the interior of the said sleeve, and upon the tube 13 is screwed a nut, c, which forms an adjustable shoulder on the exterior of said tube.

Arranged between the sleeve A and the tube B is a spiral spring, (I, one end of which bears against the ring or shoulder a, and the other end of which bears against the nut or shoulder c, and this spring serves to hold the lip-cup A in its outermost position relatively to the inner cup, B, when it is not pressed inward by the lips, and to return the lip-cup au tomatically toward or to such outermost position when the pressure of the lips is reduced or removed.

It will be seen that a slight variation in the pressure with which the lips are applied to the lip-cup will cause a corresponding movement of the lip-cup relatively to the inner cup and a corresponding alteration in the size of the air-chamber formed by the two cups. By turning the nut c the tension of the spring 5 may be increased or diminished, so that more or less pressure of the lips will be required to press the lip-cup inward.

In order to limit the inward movement of the lip-cup so that its edge cannot move past the edge of theinner cup, the point of the screw b is made to enter a groove, e, in the exterior of the tube B, and when the screw strikes against the end of this groove the lip-cup can 5 move no farther.

' When the performer desires to produce a tone in the upper register he will naturally apply his lips with greater pressure to the lipcup, and such pressure moves the said cup inward relatively to the inner cup, and thus decreases the depth of the air-chamber, which is very desirable. When the pressure of the lips is reduced the lip-cup is at once pushed outward by the spring and'increases the depth of the air-chamber.

The nut 0 enables the tension of the spring d to be readily adapted for weak or strong lips.

Although our invention is of great advantage in cornets, it is likewise applicable to all brass or silver wind-instruments.

Although we have only shown aspiral spring for pressing the lip-cup outward upon the inner cup, other means might be employed for such purpose.

By our invention we provide a mouth-piecev which, by simply varying the pressure of the lips and without removing them from the mouth-piece, will be automatically adapted to produce high or low notes. What we claim as our invention, and desire I to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mouth-piece for musical instruments,

the combination of an inner cup, B, and an outer lip-cup, A, adapted to slide inward and outward thereon, the two cups together form- 5 ing an adjustable bell-shaped air-chamber of ordinary form, and having an open mouth, and a spring for pressing said lip-cup outward relatively to said inner cup and holding it with a yielding pressure, substantially as and 4.0 for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with theinner cup and its tube, having an external shoulder, of the lip-cup and its shouldered sleeve, fitting outside said inner cup and tube, and a spring ar- 5 ranged between said sleeve and tube, with its ends bearing against the shoulders thereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the lip-cup A, its sleeve A, with the shoulder a, the inner cup, B, its tube B, the spring d, and the nut a, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the lip-cup A, its

sleeve A, with the shoulder a, the inner cup,

Witnesses:

E. C. STARK, PETER LEwIs, E. A. VAN VELZER. 

